


sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground

by helsinkibaby



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Community: 1_million_words, F/M, Rare Pairings, Unconventional Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-24
Updated: 2015-01-24
Packaged: 2018-03-08 21:16:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3223712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/pseuds/helsinkibaby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Joe goes to the lab to see Barry but only Caitlin is there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground

_"...Walking my mind to an easy time, my back turned towards the sun..."_

It's not a sound he usually associates with STAR Labs. The click and whirr of Wells's wheelchair, Cisco's enthusiastic chatter, Barry's voice carrying clear down the hall - Joe's used to all of those. 

He's never heard singing before. 

He doesn't have to guess who it is, because there's only one female who works there full time but he can deduce from the way she's singing - softly, to herself, like he does when he's pottering around the kitchen at home - that she's on her own. It takes him a moment to place the song before he identifies it as "Fire and Rain" and as his mind races ahead and reminds him of the lyrics, of the theme of the song, he stops walking and shakes his head. 

Barry's not gonna be here; he should turn around and go. 

Which is what he does, except he only takes a couple of steps away from the door when he hears a sharp intake of breath. Turning, he holds up his hands in mock surrender with what he hopes is an apologetic smile on his face. 

"Detective West!" Caitlin's cheeks are pink. "What are you... I mean, is everything ok?"

He nods, takes a step towards her without dropping his hands. "I didn't mean to intrude," he says. "I was looking for Barry, thought he might be here. When I realised you were on your own, I was just gonna leave." He gestures over his shoulder with a thumb. "I'm sorry."

"It's ok." Caitlin shakes her head but she still looks flustered. "Barry was here, until he realised he and Iris had plans to see a movie and..."

"He was late." A genuine grin comes to Joe's face. "Some things never change."

"Tell me about it." Caitlin seems more comfortable momentarily, back on solid ground. "I'll walk out with  you," she adds, disappearing back into the lab before emerging with her coat. 

"By the way," he says as they walk, "my name is Joe. I know I told you that at Christmas." 

He's teasing her and this time when her cheeks grow pink, she's smiling. "I wasn't sure if that was the eggnog talking," she tells him, her lip twitching. "It was quite..." She grimaces, clears her throat like she can actually taste it going down. "Potent?"

Joe laughs because of all the words he would have used to describe Grandma Esther's eggnog, that's one of the most polite. "You get used to it," he says. "You know, Grandma Esther lived to be a hundred and three... credited that eggnog recipe and the glass of bourbon she had before bed every night."

Caitlin gives him a look that he's only ever seen on Barry's face before. The thought strikes him suddenly that it looks better on her and he pushes it way to concentrate on what she's saying. "Studies have shown that longevity is based on a combination of factors..."

"I know, I know." He holds up one hand and shrugs. "Barry's told me. More than once." A memory comes to him and he chuckles. "Tried to tell Grandma Esther too, until she threatened to revoke his cookie privileges."

Caitlin looks delighted, her laugh echoing down the empty corridor. "Oh that is golden," she decides. "Do you think that would work for me?"

"I'd be careful. The way he's eating now, that could work out expensive."

"Could still be worth it."

They've reached the car park now, dark and deserted at this time of night. Joe looks around, automatically checking for danger and he doesn't miss the shudder that runs along Caitlin's shoulders. "I'll walk you to your car," he says, extending his hand so that it hovers over the small of her back. 

"You don't-" She starts to protest but one raised eyebrow from him and she backs down. "It's silly," she tells him. "I never used to worry about things like this... then I saw Ronnie again." She looks down and swallows hard, looking up at Joe out of the corner of her eye. 

"I heard the story." He answers the question she didn't even have to ask; between Cisco and Barry, he's been well briefed. 

Caitlin's laugh is mirthless, and it makes him frown because only minutes ago, it had been so different. "I don't now what scares me more," she admits. "The idea of seeing him again, like that... or never seeing him again, not being able to help him." She stops in front of a car, shakes her head again and Joe pretends he doesn't see the tears in her eyes. "This is me."

Joe nods, waits as she rummages in her purse. Her cell phone comes out before her keys and he acts on impulse, reaching out and almost touching it. "May I?" She looks confused but she lets him take it and he keys in his own number before pressing the call button. When his cell rings in his pocket, he ends the call and hands the phone back to her. "That's my number," he says, because any time  they've communicated on cases it's been through emails and Barry. "You need anything, you call."

There's a soft smile on her face. "Thank you," she says softly, looking into his eyes for a long moment and Joe could swear time stands still, because it's a long time since a woman looked at him like that.

She's still smiling when she gets into her car and drives away. 

Later that night, his phone beeps with a text message. It reads, "Got home safely. Thank you. C."

He grins, tries to tell himself that he'd do the same for any of his kids' friends. 

That much he knows is true. 

Just like he knows that the feelings he's feeling now are anything but fatherly. 


End file.
